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Evolved by N.R. Walker: Release Day Review

April 23, 2018 by Denise Leave a Comment

In 2068, androids are an integrated part of human life. Big Brother no longer just watches from the shadows. It’s in every household.

Lloyd Salter has OCD issues with noise and mess, and he’s uncomfortable with human interaction. When his ex claimed the only thing perfect enough to live up to his standards was an android, Lloyd dismissed it. But two years later, after much self-assessment, Lloyd thinks he may have been right.

SATinc is the largest manufacturer of androids in Australia, including the Fully Compatible Units known as an A-Class 10. Their latest design is the Synthetic Human Android UNit, otherwise known as SHAUN.

Shaun is compatible with Lloyd’s every need; the perfect fit on an intellectual and physical basis. But Lloyd soon realises Shaun’s not like other A-Class androids. He learns. He adapts. Sure that SATinc is aware Shaun functions outside of his programmed parameters, Lloyd must find a way to keep Shaun safe.

No one can know how special Shaun is. No one can know he’s evolved.

Amazon

I really liked this book. Whodathunk?

I am not the biggest fan of fantasy/futuristic/sci-fi romance. I generally stick with contemporary, with a few historicals throw in for good measure. BUT. I am a big fan of NR Walker, so I jumped right in.

So glad I did.

Although set 50 years in the future, much seems the same. Except for androids/gynoids. First the took over petty tasks for us- cooking, cleaning, driving. But now there are new ones that are very human like. So much so that they are being purchased as companions and sexual partners.

NR Walker built an entire vocabulary and world in which these machines live among us. A world in the no so distant future. It hearkened back to the 50’s and 60’s when they imagined flying cars 50 years in the future.

Ok, anyway. Yes, this is a love story and romance. But no, it wasn’t weird. I thought it would be. You so quickly forget that Shaun is an android. Except for not eating, he does and says all of the things that Lloyd does. They converse, debate, cuddle, kiss and have sex. And through it all Shaun evolves. He and Lloyd both question what love is. Even what being a human is.

It was really a very smart, very cool book. You are reminded that Shaun is an android and doesn’t just turn into a human. There are bigger issues of Big Brother watching, how much and how often. How other androids- the older ones that are more robot than human- are treated.

I feel like I am mucking up this review. I don’t want to give spoilers, but I want you to read it. Really. It will make you think as well. I don’t know if the author meant to write a book that could be used for philosophical discussion (seriously), but she did.

Not perfect- there were a few repetitious phrases, etc. But really good.

4 pieces of eye candy

N.R. Walker is an Australian author, who loves her genre of gay romance.

She loves writing and spends far too much time doing it, but wouldn’t have it any other way.

She is many things: a mother, a wife, a sister, a writer. She has pretty, pretty boys who live in her head, who don’t let her sleep at night unless she gives them life with words.

She likes it when they do dirty, dirty things… but likes it even more when they fall in love.

She used to think having people in her head talking to her was weird, until one day she happened across other writers who told her it was normal.

She’s been writing ever since…

Contact N.R. Walker

Email: nrwalker@nrwalker.net

Set Ablaze by KC Burn: Exclusive Guest Post, Release Day Review and Giveaway

April 23, 2018 by Denise 12 Comments

California firefighter Hayden Hurst is starting to realize there’s more to life than fighting fires and drinking with his buddies. He has room in his home and his life for someone special, but no one has stood out among his hookups. And while he’s out at work, admitting he’s gay is very different from showing up at social functions with a man. He’s afraid that’ll be too much for his less-than-accepting “friends.”

Broadway dancer Jez Bouchet hasn’t been mistaken for straight since he was gay-bashed at seventeen. After getting a lucrative job offer in Hollywood, he uproots his life in New York and drives to Los Angeles. His brother, who is Hayden’s best friend, arranges for him to crash at Hayden’s place.

The attraction between Hayden and Jez is unexpected but fiery, and they succumb before they’re even sure they like each other. But Jez hates Hayden’s homophobic friends, and Hayden knows Jez is too flamboyant for him to fly under the radar. Then there’s the complication of Jez’s brother.

Despite those hurdles, they fling themselves into a relationship. But Jez has secrets: a tiny spoiled dog and a determined stalker. If he doesn’t come clean, he might torch their burgeoning relationship before it has a chance to bloom.

Title: Set Ablaze
Author: KC Burn
Release Date: April 24, 2018
Category: Contemporary
Pages: 193

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

Hi all! I’m KC Burn and I want to thank Two Chicks Obsessed for hosting me today for my new release Set Ablaze.

I know there are authors out there who have to hide what they write from family. There are readers out there who have to hide what they read. I am not one of those people. My friends are all supportive, my family is mostly supportive, my in-laws are super supportive. My hubby is the most supportive man I could ask for. When I’m not behind on deadlines, he edits my books and he’s excellent at catching plot holes and continuity errors as well as grammar mistakes.

For Set Ablaze, though, I required a different brand of support. Set Ablaze is set in a fictional firehouse, in Pasadena, California, where I currently reside. I’d done a bunch of research (like many of my books, the heroes’ professions only peripherally influence the story, so I didn’t need HUGE amounts of information about firefighters, just enough to get the parts I do reference correct). There were two questions I could not seem to locate answers for online though.

During this creation process, I traveled to Toronto for a conference. While I was there, I saw a Facebook post for the city of Pasadena. One of the fire stations was having an OPEN HOUSE. While I was AWAY. You could wander in and check the place out, and ask questions.

The conversation with my hubby went like this… “So… do you have any plans for Saturday?”

Yes, the hubby went to the open house, armed with my two questions, and took some pictures for me. It was exactly what I needed to finish the book. Gotta love my supportive hubby.

What about you? Have you been scorned for your reading choices? And I’m not necessarily talking m/m romance. Romance is often looked down on by the rest of the literary world. I’ve gotten flak for straight romances, and even just any sort of genre fiction. I really feel for those out there who can’t just enjoy the escape that reading (and writing) provides.

When I said I would review this book, I had no idea what to expect. A firefighter who’s out, but not quite out, a dancer with a future, but no home, and a puppy. So, yeah, all those together, and I said “yep, that’s for me!” Having not read this author before, I took a chance. (Meanwhile, I went and searched and found I had purchased at least one book by this author, and its in my TBR, moved up accordingly. 🙂 )

What I did not expect was the twists and turns this book would take, and not the normal ones you might expect. Jez’s brother, his reactions to Jez, and later his reasoning behind it all were surprising to me. Also, the…for want of a better word…s**t that Hayden took from his friends, despite them knowing he was gay, and how it was handled. This impressed me as a reader, because it could have easily turned into a hugely dramatic part of the book, and instead was dealt with as (hopefully) most adults would have handled it.

In the end though, I loved the relationship between Hayden and Jez. They respected each other, despite their extreme differences, and didn’t allow circumstances to pull them apart. They truly just worked on falling in love, with only a little internal drama-and a whole lot of cute puppy. 🙂

Hayden’s own issues made complete sense considering the circumstances he’d had to deal with, and the way he allowed Jez to assist with the process of letting go was touching. They really did make a good team together.

I really enjoyed this book, and am hoping to find some time soon to read Cop Out now…or if there’s another in this series, that too!

4.5 pieces of eye candy

KC Burn has been writing for as long as she can remember and is a sucker for happy endings (of all kinds). After moving from Toronto to Florida for her husband to take a dream job, she discovered a love of gay romance and fulfilled a dream of her own — getting published. After a few years of editing web content by day, and neglecting her supportive, understanding hubby and needy cat at night to write stories about men loving men, she was uprooted yet again and now resides in California. Writing is always fun and rewarding, but writing about her guys is the most fun she’s had in a long time, and she hopes you’ll enjoy them as much as she does.

Visit KC at her website, on Twitter, on Facebook, or find out about new releases by signing up for her newsletter.

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Kairos by Mary Calmes: Audiobook Review

April 22, 2018 by Denise Leave a Comment

Sometimes the best day of your life is the one you never saw coming.

Joe Cohen has devoted the past two years of his life to one thing: the care and feeding of Kade Bosa. His partner in their PI business, roommate, and best friend, Kade is everything to Joe, even if their relationship falls short of what Joe desires most. But he won’t push. Kade has suffered a rough road, and Joe’s pretty sure he’s the only thing holding Kade together.

Estranged from his own family, Joe knows the value of desperately holding on to someone dear, but he never expected his present and past to collide just as Kade’s is doing the same. Now they’ve stumbled across evidence that could change their lives: the impact of Kade’s tragic past, their job partnership, and any future Joe might allow himself to wish for….

Title: Kairos
Author: Mary Calmes
Narrator: Michael Fell
Release Date: March 16, 2018
Category: Contemporary
Length: 5 hours, 10 minutes

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

Audible

Wow, what I didn’t expect with Kairos was how funny it was. Full disclosure though…quite often that is exactly how my family interacts. We talk over each other, make fun of each other, get up in each other’s business, etc. That is exactly how Joe’s family interacted, and it made me laugh over and over.

Joe and Kade clearly had some communication issues, and from the beginning you couldn’t help but feel bad for Joe who had clearly been pining for Kade for years. Yet they managed to work well together, covering each other’s back, no matter what, and ensuring that they were loyal to those who had proven themselves loyal to them.

I had to laugh (again) at the comments throughout, once they arrived at Joe’s family winery, to Joe’s mother about not collecting people…and yet, Joe and Kade collected their own person and brought him to the winery themselves.

There wasn’t a lot of angst in here, other than poor Joe’s unrequited love…well and a few dead bodies, but a lot of great interactions, and a satisfying ending.

I will admit, as often happens with a Mary Calmes book, I want more of these guys. Much more. 🙂

Story: 4 pieces of eye candy

Narration: 4 pieces of eye candy

Rhoades-Undeniable (Man Up Book 2) by Felice Stevens: New Release Review

April 22, 2018 by Denise Leave a Comment

Rhoades
Loneliness. The pain doesn’t simply go away with time. It’s been years, and they tell me I need to move on. But I can’t.
Blame and regret are my constant companions. Until I see him in the spotlight and everything changes. Night after night, I watch him dance. Thinking about him.
What he’d feel like.
What he’d taste like.
And now that I know, I want him even more.
And maybe…just maybe, he might want me too.
But not yet.
Not before he knows he’s more than a pretty face. Not before he knows what he means to me. I need him by my side.
The two of us.
Together.

Austin
Why can’t I forget him? His hands touching me. His mouth on mine. Kissing me. Rendering me mindless.
Breathless.
Every night I lay awake burning for him. Dreaming. Thinking. Needing him.
No—I don’t. I don’t need anyone.
I lie.
I want him.
I want more. I am more. He’s seen that, and now here I stand with my dream on the horizon. All I need to do is take that first step. Trust him.
Trust myself.

Rhoades begins immediately where Austin, Book one, left off

Amazon

Hmm… Well.

I didn’t **love** book 1. I liked it. I liked it enough to want to read this installment. Book 1 was a tease, an appetizer to book 2. Undeniably the main course. I don’t understand why they are two books though.

Anyway…..

I felt like book one stumbled a bit. And book two started that way. But then it founds it’s groove. It wasn’t nearly as angst ridden as I expected given the backgrounds of both guys.

I think the story for me changed once Austin stood up for himself. For what he wanted and didn’t want. Instead of just going with the flow to make ends meet until “something” happened that would catapult him into adulthood.

And while Rhoades still held back- he let more and more out to Austin.

It was a slow simmer until the sexual pot boiled over. It was worth the wait.

Rhoades made some grand gestures that weren’t really necessary and over the top. But he seems like an all or nothing kind of guy.

I do feel like we were left hanging a little bit in regard to one of the side characters. But perhaps there will be a book 3 for him.

3.5 Pieces of Candy

A Full Plate by Kim Fielding: Exclusive Author Guest Post and Release Day Review

April 20, 2018 by Denise Leave a Comment

Opposites come together for a spicy surprise.

Bradford “Tully” Tolliver has everything—money, a great car, a beautiful condo, and a promising career as one of Portland’s hottest young lawyers. Sure, he puts in long hours and has no social life to speak of, but who needs romance when corporations pay top dollar for his expertise? He hesitates when a colleague asks if her cousin can live with him, but the arrangement will last less than a year, and then the cousin—Sage Filling—will return to his tiny hometown.

But Sage is handsome and intriguing, and his cooking makes Tully swoon. Sage has obligations back home, though, and Tully has offers he might not refuse from a persistent—and very wealthy—ex. Since Tully and Sage each have a full plate, can they make room for a side of love?

Title: A Full Plate
Author: Kim Fielding
Release Date: April 17, 2018
Category: Contemporary, Dreamspun Desires
Pages: 197

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

Hi! I’m Kim Fielding, and I’m very excited to announce the arrival of my new Dreamspun Desires book, A Full Plate! If you’re in the mood for a sweet little opposites-attract romance with a hint of spice, this may fit your tastes exactly.

Are you a city slicker or a country bumpkin? Neither of those are very positive terms, so let’s put it another way. Are you more comfortable amid the high-rises of the urban jungle, where the hustle and bustle and the 24/7 lifestyle keep you juiced? Or would you prefer to remain in the quiet of the country, with nature at your doorstep and a slower, steadier pace?

I think both locales have pros and cons. I love the convenience of the city, the variety, and the opportunities for people-watching. But I also appreciate the peace of the countryside and the relative lack of stress.

To be honest, I live in neither environment. I’ve spent most of my life in the burbs or in cities that are too big to be towns but far too small to be metropolises. My current home is two blocks from almond orchards and cornfields, but the freeway roars nearby, and I can buy pho or a microbrew without leaving the city limits.

My day job and other practicalities keep me where I am for now. But if I were completely free to choose, I’d opt for a big-city condo—with frequent vacations to the mountains, the desert, and the beach. The best of both worlds, right?

In my new book, A Full Plate, the main characters face the basic question of where to live. Tully is a corporate attorney, born in Manhattan and now living in a Portland high-rise. Sage, however, is from the tiny central Oregon town of Hair Shaker—one of those places where everyone knows everyone else’s business. He aspires to nothing fancier than being a good cook, but he must temporarily live in the city in order to support his family.

So there we have it: a classic conflict. How can these two very different men ever find happiness together?

Where would you prefer to live, in the city or in the country?

Here’s a nice country-inspired recipe from my childhood.

Fruit Coffee Cake

Cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 ½ tsp grated orange peel

½ cup butter

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

3 ½ cups fresh fruit of your choice, washed, pitted or hulled, and cut into bite-size pieces

Topping:

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

¼ cup flour

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp butter

½ cup chopped nuts (optional)

Make cake: In a bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and orange peel. With pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles cornmeal.

In another bowl, beat eggs lightly, then stir in milk and vanilla. Make a well in center of flour mixture and pour in egg mixture; stir just until moistened. Spoon batter into well-greased 7 ½ by 11 ½ pan and arrange fruit evenly on top, pressing in lightly.

Make topping: Combine sugar, flour, and cinnamon. With fingers, work in butter. Stir in nuts.

Squeeze together handfuls of topping, then break into chunks and scatter over fruit.

Bake at 350F until pick comes out clean, about 60 minutes. Cool 20 minutes on wire rack.

Sigh. I just love a happy ending. Not just when it ends on a good note, but when we get to see the characters in their new lives, enjoying each moment. It’s one of the reasons I love the Dreamspun Desires series. That happy ending is never far away.

I really enjoyed this one by Kim Fielding. A Full Plate gave me all the good feels. Sage was happiest right where he felt at home, in the kitchen, make those around him happy with his food. Okay, there was that one time with Tully, but it led to happy, so easily forgiven. J

What I loved most was Tully though, and not simply because the book was written from his POV. Tully grew up rich in Manhattan, going to private schools, having the best of everything, until he came out. That kind of childhood could have led to him being a snob, and looking down on Sage for “only wanting to be a cook”. Yet he didn’t, he told people with pride what Sage did. He treated him with respect and care, not caring that Sage didn’t have a college degree, or that he didn’t work for a Michelin starred restaurant. Tully was a person of great integrity-although I think he should have given Eddy hell for destroying wetlands-and treated everyone respectfully.

Tully and Sage were so compatible deep down, that it seemed odd that it took them so long to make that connection. But they did, and all cylinders seemed to fire from there. Love was inevitable.

I would love to see them pop up again somewhere else, just to get more of a glimpse into how their lives have evolved.

4 pieces of eye candy

Kim Fielding is the bestselling author of numerous m/m romance novels, novellas, and short stories. Like Kim herself, her work is eclectic, spanning genres such as contemporary, fantasy, paranormal, and historical. Her stories are set in alternate worlds, in 15th century Bosnia, in modern-day Oregon. Her heroes are hipster architect werewolves, housekeepers, maimed giants, and conflicted graduate students. They’re usually flawed, they often encounter terrible obstacles, but they always find love.

After having migrated back and forth across the western two-thirds of the United States, Kim calls the boring part of California home. She lives there with her husband, her two daughters, and her day job as a university professor, but escapes as often as possible via car, train, plane, or boat. This may explain why her characters often seem to be in transit as well. She dreams of traveling and writing full-time.

Follow Kim:

Website: http://www.kfieldingwrites.com/

Facebook: http://facebook.com/KFieldingWrites

Twitter: @KFieldingWrites

Email: Kim@KFieldingWrites.com

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/bau3S9

A complete list of Kim’s books: http://www.kfieldingwrites.com/kim-fieldings-books/

Lost Souls Found by Kris T Bethke: Exclusive Author Guest Post and Release Day Review

April 18, 2018 by Denise Leave a Comment

Dying is all in a day’s work. Love is more dangerous.

Ghostwalker Sam Jones has been half in love with Michael King since he started working at Requiem Inc. But Michael is his boss and a Guardian, to boot. Sam thinks they could make it work anyway, but Michael uses his position and his age to keep Sam at arm’s length.

When Sam continues to volunteer for the most dangerous cases, Michael has to intervene. He tells himself he’s just doing his job, but he’s always seen Sam as more than another operative, and he can’t bear the thought of not taking his chance. The connection between them has been strong from the beginning, and Michael’s telepathy adds unexpected depth and an edge to their new romance, but working together while they try to build their relationship might be the hardest part of their job if they don’t make some sacrifices.

Title: Lost Souls Found
Series: Requiem Inc.: Book 2
Author: Kris T. Bethke
Release Date: April 17, 2018
Category: Paranormal: Ghosts, Dreamspun Beyond
Pages: 207

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

Hey everyone! I’m Kris T. Bethke, and I’m excited to be here today. Thanks so much for having me, and thanks for stopping in to read.

There’s a particular trope I love to read, and therefor love to write. Pining. Seemingly unrequited love. The crush that is so much more than just a simple admiration for another person. That feeling that goes deeper and you know, if you just got the chance, you could have that person forever.

That’s exactly how Sam feels about Michael in Lost Souls Found.

Sam might be younger than Michael, but he knows what he wants. And he knows that Michael is the perfect man for him. He understands why Michael keeps him at arm’s length. There are reasons, and though Sam doesn’t agree with them, he gets where Michael is coming from. Mostly. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t think Michael should give in and just be with him already.

Sam is ready to give up. He’s ready to move on and start a new life, even though it’s not what he wants. But Michael isn’t ready to give Sam up. It takes time and conversation, and whole lot more, before these two guys finally get to a good place. It’s not easy for either of them, but they know it’s worth it.

This is the second book in the series, and if you’ve read the first, you know just how deep Sam’s pining for Michael goes. It was so integral to his character that I wrote he feelings on the page without knowing if I was going to be able to write Sam and Michael’s story. But I’m so glad that I was able to, and that it’s now released out in the world for you to read too. I loved these guys, and I loved penning their journey to love.

I hope you get a chance to check it out!

I loved the first book in the Requiem, Inc series, Ghost of a Chance, so I jumped when I saw book 2, Sam’s story, was coming. This series is a bit different than most paranormal I have read, although I don’t read a lot of PR. But it has such a unique take, I have enjoyed it so far.

I will say that Michael irritated me, at one point, I thought there was no chance he was going to redeem himself in my eyes, as he had become possessive and controlling. That being said, I had to consider the situation he was in, and give him some allowance for such a challenging position he was put in on a daily basis. He did redeem himself, showing his love for Sam, and his desire to do what he could to keep their relationship in tact.

Sam was great though. He knew what he wanted, and didn’t hesitate to go after it. And when he made a decision, he didn’t waiver, even if it wasn’t necessarily what he wanted. He also loved his job, and it showed in the care he took with the other ghostwalkers, and those that he helped to cross over.

With the Dreamspun Desires and Dreamspun Beyond, the books aren’t high angst (which I appreciate), but this one still had me crying at several different points. In the end, their happy ending worked out perfectly, and made great sense, and the reader got a good tease for the next book. (Although, I really need to know more about Tyler, after what happened to him….hint hint…).

4 pieces of eye candy for me, and waiting for book 3…

Kris T. Bethke has been a voracious reader for pretty much her entire life and has been writing stories for nearly as long. An avid and prolific daydreamer, she always has a story in her head. She spends most of her free time reading, writing, or knitting/crocheting her latest project. Her biggest desire is to find a way to accomplish all three tasks at one time. A classic muscle car will always turn her head, and naps on the weekend are one of her greatest guilty pleasures. She lives in a converted attic with a way too fluffy cat and the voices in her head. She’ll tell you she thinks that’s a pretty good deal. Kris believes that love is love, no matter the gender of people involved, and that all love deserves to be celebrated.

Find her on her site https://kristbethke.com

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/people/Kris-T-Bethke/100014524539852

Twitter https://twitter.com/kristbethke

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